Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper has been extremely inconsistent thus far in the 2018 NFL season. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson feels his fluctuating performance falls on the offense as a whole.

The Raiders were adamant about Cooper being a focal point in their game plan heading into the year. According to Matt Kawahara of sfgate.com, Olson acknowledged his struggles can be shared by the entire group:

“Finding ways to get him open and him working to get open,” Olson said. “I think it goes both ways. And there have been teams that have tried to take him away, and we’ve worked on other matchups. It’s a game of matchups. Certainly, we like him as a wide receiver and every week we will install plays to take advantage of those matchups with him.”

Cooper is coming off his worst performance of the year after finishing with just one reception for 10 yards versus the Los Angeles Chargers. He has now registered 22 receptions for 280 yards and a touchdown this season. Needless to say, his numbers are a far cry from what head coach Jon Gruden had hoped for coming into the year.

Amari Cooper has been able to capitalize nearly every time the Raiders call his number. The problem is that it does not happen very often. The bulk of his production can be traced to the two games in which he received at least 10 targets.  Unfortunately, Oakland has not developed a game plan to keep him involved consistently.
It should be noted that cooper's struggles have been indicative of the offense as a whole. Fortunately, they will have a chance to find a rhythm against a porous Seattle Seahawks defense in Week 6.